An investigation into the public’s attitudes towards recycling in correlation with their proximity to proposed waste recycling facilities, using the Waste Technology Park at Leyland as a case study.

Abstract

In the UK, the Waste Management Industry has traditionally relied upon landfill for the
disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). However it is now recognised that landfill
brings with it significant environmental costs and that landfill alone is not a sustainable
option for the future. But, since recent changes in EU and UK Government policy, such
as the Waste Strategy in 2000, the UK has made significant progress in reducing the
amount of MSW that goes to landfill. Major increase in kerbside recycling schemes has
been a significant factor in helping meet the Government’s reduction targets. As a result
local authorities require the development of new waste treatment facilities to deal with
the growing amounts of MSW. But traditionally there has been opposition to waste
treatment sites, and the proposed waste recycling facility at Leyland is no exception.
A questionnaire was derived and local residents were interviewed to ascertain their
attitudes towards the siting of the Leyland Waste Technology Park (LWTP). As
predicted, most local residents were against the proposal- a classic case of NIMBY
(‘Not in My Back Yard’) syndrome. But in spite of this, the majority of local residents
would still continue to recycle their household waste, knowing it would eventually end
up being treated at the proposed LWTP. This result showed that there was no clear
correlation between the public’s attitudes towards recycling and their proximity to the
proposed Waste Technology Park. However, the opposition to the LWTP proposal has
confronted Lancashire County Council with a number of difficulties in it’s
implementation of Lancashire’s Integrated Waste Management Strategy, which is vital
in meeting various government targets, by recovering value from waste and diverting
waste away from landfill.